About Brain Injuries

To often the brain injured are ignored or pushed to the side and not included in social/school activities and life. We help them become visible again to family, friends and society.

What is a Brain Injury?

The correct name of a brain injury regardless of cause is an Acquired Brain Injury. If broken down by cause they are given the following names:

Acquired Brain Injuryor ABI is damage to the brain that occurs after birth from a traumatic or non-traumatic event. An ABI is not related to a congenital disorder or a degenerative disease such as Alzheimer's Disease, Multiple Sclerosis or Parkinson's Disease.

Traumatic Brain Injuryor TBIis damage to the brain caused by a traumatic event such as a blow to the head, a fall, a motor vehicle collision or a sports related injury. A TBI includes concussions. (A sub type of a TBI is a Mild Traumatic Brain Injury or MTBI. This is a name sometimes used for a concussion.

Non-Traumatic Brain Injury is damage to the brain caused by illness such as meningitis or encephalitis, oxygen deprivation(anoxia) or stroke.

Definitions

Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)- An ABI is defined as damage that occurs to the brain at least seven days after birth (not congenital). The damage may occur as a result of traumatic injury to the head, often associated with a traffic accident, a fall, an assault, or a non-traumatic injury such as a stroke, a tumour, an aneurysm, or infection. The extent of the damage will vary from individual to individual. ABIs are as unique as the individuals who acquire them.

Things to Think About

* The largest number of brain injuries occur as a result of a motor vehicle accident.​

* Sports and recreation cause the next highest level of brain injury.

﻿* In Ontario approximately 18,000 individuals sustain an ABI annually.​

* There are about 27,000 children with an ABI enrolled in Ontario`s schools.

* There are an estimated 500,000 people living in the province with ABI​.

* Overall, adolescents are more likely to sustain a brain injury than any other age group.

* Males are more likely than than females to sustain a brain injury.* A concussion is a brain injury and can have serious and lasting implications for the person who receives one.

Concussion(Mild Traumatic Brain Injury - MTBI)What is a concussion? A concussionis an invisible brain injury caused by either a direct or indirect blow to the head face, neck or body resulting in a sudden shaking of the brain inside the head (Dr. Charles Tator, Professor of Neurosurgery University of Toronto).

Although there may be cuts orbruises on the head or face, there may be no other visible signs of a brain injury. You don't have to pass out (lose consciousness) to have a concussion. Some people will have obvious symptoms of a concussion, such as passing out or forgetting what happened right before the injury. But other people won't. With rest, most people fully recover from a concussion. Some people recover within a few hours. Other people take a few weeks to recover.

In rare cases, concussions cause more serious problems. Repeated concussions or a severe concussion may require surgery or lead tolong-lasting problems with movement, learning, or speaking. Because of the small chance of permanent brain problems, it is important to contact a doctor if you or someone you know has symptoms of a concussion.

If you want more information on concussions, check out Sault Ste. Marie's Concussion Awareness Community Education Committee's (CACEC) Website by clicking the following button.

Video - "Concussions 101, A Primer for Kids and Parents":This video is produced by Dr. Mike Angus. It is an excellent video that parents and children alike will enjoy watching. It is short, 5 minutes and 50 seconds. A commercial comes on first, but at the bottom right is a box you can click on shortly after the commercial starts to skip the advertisement.